THE LOAFER IN THE STREET.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2298, 15 August 1881, Page 3

THE LOAFER IN THE STREET.

[*BOM THB "WBBKLY PBBBS."] It may be reoolleoted that the day atter the hon. members of the House had lost and won thirty hats in betting over the result of the Want of Confidence motion was the day they selected to pais the Gaming and Lottery Bill. It was the day, if I remember rightly, Mr Diok found out that there was nothing in the Bill to stop betting, a want whioh he was careful to supply at the last moment. His addition was rather too stiff for many of the members, who out out some of the moßt stri"gent clauses of the Bill. They will still be allowed to lose a hat on a want of confidence motion, or play whist for, shall we say, ten-shilling points and a guinea on the rub. This was the day, too, that Dr. Wallis proved to be the only man present who had any idea of f an-tan, and he explained the game very fairly to the committee. From some experience of Chinese, I can say that the Chinese here and in Australia prefer to play amongst themselves to admitting Europeans. It may be possible, if they got hold of a simpleton, Chinamen might "Where Ah Sin took a hand— Euohre may be. Tho same He would not understand. And he'd smile as he sat at the table With the smilo that is ohild-like and bland. Which is why I'll allow—> And my language is plainThat for words that are dark, And for trioks that are vain, The heathen Chinee is peculiar, Which the game I am free to maintain." As r wished to learn one more gambling game before November Ist, when we all are to be made virtuous by Act of Parliament, and as I had an opportunity recently of being taught fan-tan by some Chinese, I walked in one evening to a house where a considerable number of Chinamen live, and where I had long been awaro fan-tan was very frequently played. Two friends accompanied me, one of them knowing some of the merry

heathens. They took very very little notice of our entry, and said " good night" in the mo»t friendly manner. I don't know much about opium smoking, but I oan tell you one thing about it—it stinks. There were several of the Chinese, eaoh with the regular apparatus in front of him, indulging in the smoke, and who seemed in a semi-oonßoiouß •tate. Borne were playing dominoes when we first came in, a game I'm sure even the virtuous but severe sweep proseoutor, Andrews, would not object to. The room, with the opiumemoking, with so rainy perspiring Chinamen, and with the number of candles burning, was as hot as a furnace. The room was, however, wonderfully clean, under the circumstances. After some pitching, I see they very curious to know what the mischief we had come for. At last we told them we came for a lesson in Fan-tan, at whioh they seemed highly amused, but did not soem at all inclined to comply with our request. They made all sorts of excuses. They had no money. They had no conveniences to play with, and they evidently thought it was a put job to split on the gambling, whioh, by the way, we learned during tho evening is very narmless here, whatever it may be among the more wealthy Celestials in Australia, who I know do gamble properly. They put us off at first by trying to explain the principles of the game in pigeon Engl'sb, whioh one fellow spoke very well. But we oouldn't savee, and at last they produoed what 1 have little doubt Mr 8. P. Andrews would call the " murderous weapons." They consisted of a square board, about eighteen inches eaoh way, numbered on the four sides 1. 2,3, 4, and a long thin wooden wand, about th<- »ize and shape, only longer, of a porcupine quiil that is used for a penholder. They then brought out a heap of thick brass counters with a square hole in the middle to receive the wand and covered with heathen hieroglyphics. You can back 1,2, 3, or 4 singly, or you can back 1 and 4, 3 and 2, and 2 and 1. The money being staked against the number you fancy, the dealer takes two or three handfulls of the counters and places them on the board; then taking the wand, he sorted the counters by fours from the board, and when they all ran out to four, three, two, or one, as the case might be, the backers of that particular number divided the spoil. I think a olever dealer might work a little game, " And the same with intent to deceive,"

' And it would want a good memory in i a big game to recollect the baokers of tho several numbers. They watch the game, and can tell a good time before the dealer has got the counters of what the winning number is, and I'm afraid with a no\ Ice they would, if they were out of it, shift. The European would find " Civilisation a failure, And the Caucasian completely played out." We learnt the game pretty thoroughly in a few minutes, and played on (only imaginary stakes on the part of the smiling Mongol'ins) for half an hour or so, during whioh I should have won—assuming we were play*ng Is limited fan-tan, I should win about one pound. Just before we started to go two musicianers started to play what might fairly be called "all kinds of musio" in the bedroom opposite to the one where we were sitting. Wo went to see them ; the first was a regular single breasted fiddle, as straight as a shovel, and two strings. This was called a Ye Yung, while Slang Yung was in appearance and sound unto a banjo. The two played up when we oame a sort of a breakdown with such verve that the Ye Yung player bust the strings. A gloomy looking galoot, full as a tick of opium, made a feeble chorus of one t-> the music, end as the bedroom atmosphere was that thick that you could out it with a penknife, and a slice would fill the theatre, we cleared out. After wishing our fan-tan tutors a pleasant evening, we made traoks like go-as-you-please pedestrians to the nearest hostelrie, where two of the party shouted. I dare say you can guess who the non-shoutist wbs. A good story comes from a country district. The officer in charge of her Majesty's subjects, like Hans Breitman, "gabe a barty," and a very pleasant one too, as I am informed. The harmony of the evening was, however, disturbed by a gentleman who got very screwed. The host, who is a man of thews and sinews, conduoted the inebriated one to the lock-up, and he was du'y fined by the magistrate the next morning. It is quite evident that there must be a great advantage to any man giving a party who is able to look up a recaloitrant guest in the deepest dungeon of the donjon Keep. I ask yon most respectfully as an authority on educational matters, whether in these overeducated days of ours it be correct to spell such words as honour, favour, as the people from whose language the words are derived c*id hundreds, nay thousands of years ago. That is to say, without the final o. Thus, " honor." I ask because a North Island correspondent writes me to the effect that a domine up there taught his pupils in the latter style, and on the next occasion of the Inspector visiting his school he marked all those words in the dictation done by the pupils as misspelt. On enquiring Why this ? the Inspector, who was one of the old school, said that it was simply hor-horrible to Americanise the English language in that way. The master, who was of a touchy temperament, then asked him to pull off his coat and come outside, and he'd soon show him who was light. This invitation wes deolined by the Inspector, and the domine left that pavt shortly afterwards, taking a broad hint given him by his committee. How do you spell Favor ?

There are two little boys in this metropolis who are very fond of breeding fowls. One time they happened to get a neighbor of the name of Tubbins. He kept game fowls. His fowls used to fly over the fence and thump tV.e stuffing out of the more orderly Dorkings kept by the boys. But they consulted together and deoided also to become the owners of game fowls. They further deoided to breed nothing but game cocks, and te purchase spurs for them, so that they might meet the Tubbins' roosters with 6 to 4 the best of it. They bought a setting of eggs from a man who used to fight his cocks regularly, and planted them under an old orock of a hen that would bring the brood all forth sound and well, and subsequently superintend their education. They then told their mother, who, not at all approving of the plan, substituted a number of ducks' eggs for those of the game fowl. She dissembled with her sons, did the astute mother, and when the old hen failed in bringing out the chicks at the right time, they went full of anxiety to ask the reason of the delay, she explained to them that game fowls always took longer in coming into the world than any other fowls. After waiting with much impatience for another week or so, one of the boys arose very early one morning and saw that one of the chicks had made bis appearance. After a carefml examination of him he rushed up to his brother, and waking him, said, " I say, Bill, there's one game cock born." " What's he like ?" said Bill, " Why, he's got a head like a bulldog, a snout like a halligator, a body like a ship, and web feet. If he can't knock those puny roosters of old Tubbinß higher nor a kite, I'll eat him." Which he did subsequently, and always afterwards called the man who kept fighting cocks a "blooming swindler." I may add that a few years after they did get some fighting cocks, who now deoimate those of Tubbins' every week. There is bitter enmity between the families.

I observe from recent English telegrams that the Emerald is to be stationed at Fiji. This will not be at all a popular appointment in Sydney, from the faot that after an unusually bloody massacre made by the inhabitants of one of the South Sea Islands, the Emerald was despatched to give the murderers a lesson that would last them for all time. The Emerald's idea of doing so was to go to the island, sling about three shells into the village, from which of course the inhabitants had all fled, and return to Sydney. Sinoe then the islanders have kept on murdering British seamen, tomahawking captains, and " pursuing of their shindies on the South Sea Island shore," till I think it's high time the Commodore, whoever he may be, should send down a vessel with a more blood-thirsty skipper than the party commanding the Emerald. A man who, like " Slasher "in the farce, will make the islands where these hospitable people live "a regular field of carnage." That's the sort of skipper that ought to go there. Before concluding, as I have alluded to Mr •S. P. Andrews, " the working man's friend," as I understand he is called, I have to say I am surprised he should, on the Lotteries Bill, have voted that people running sweeps of any sort should not be allowed the option of a fine, but be sent right to gaol. Mr Andrews, prior to going up to his Parliamentary duties, expressed a great desire to see the totalisator work. He was shown it, and though he expressed himself quite delighted with its working, he voted dead against it. I know a great many working »aen who will remember this friend of theirs when the next election comes on.